Police plea declined, Daduwal sent to judicial lockup for 12 days

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Faridkot, Punjab: The duty magistrate today declined the police plea to extend Baba Baljit Singh Daduwal’s remand and ordered that he be sent to a judicial lockup for 12 days. The controversial Sikh preacher is a member of the ad hoc Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC).

The police said that they had found pictures of AK-47 assault rifles in the Baba’s laptop and he needed to be further interrogated for recovering arms and ammunition from Gujarat. Also, his bank accounts needed to be looked into.

But Kulwinder Sekhon, the Baba’s counsel, said the police were “ making flimsy stories” to keep his client in custody with the sole motive to harass him for extending support to the HSGMC.

The duty magistrate also refused the plea of the Mansa police for Baba Daduwal’s custody in connection with an attempt to murder case registered against him and his 11 supporters on January 2, 2011, at Bhikhi in Mansa district.

“The Mansa police first needs to approach the local court to procure warrants against Daduwal in the attempt to murder case,” argued Sekhon.

Sukhmeet Kaur, the Baba’s wife, who was at the court complex with her nine-month-old son, alleged that the police did not allow her to meet her husband. “Besides reopening old cases, the police are looking to book him in new cases to keep him in jail as punishment for having supported the HSGMC. Ever since my husband expressed solidarity with the HSGMC, he has been hounded by the police on the directions of the state government and SGPC leaders,” she alleged. She pointed out that after her husband’s arrest at Gurdwara Jandalisar near Kotshamir in Bathinda, the SGPC, with the help of the police, had wrested control of the gurdwara. A large number of Baba Daduwal’s supporters had assembled in the court complex. But none was allowed to approach him. The Baba was brought to the courtroom through the back door.

Sheer vengeance: Nalvi

Jind: The ad hoc committee of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) has accused Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal of misusing the state police for “harassing” its member Baljit Singh Daduwal. “Badal wants to harass HSGMC members to avenge the formation of a separate gurdwara committee for Haryana. Daduwal is not alone in his fight for justice. The HSGMC stands by him,” Didar Singh Nalvi, HSGMC senior vice-president, said.

Release Baba: Khaira

Faridkot: In a statement to the mediapersons, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, former MLA and senior Congress leader, alleged that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was victimising Baba Daduwal for his role in setting up the HSGMC. “The dictatorial Badals, unable to tolerate dissent or opposition, are now misusing the state machinery, especially the police, to implicate the Baba in false cases.” He demanded that the preacher be released forthwith.